With the proliferation of low cost microprocessors, memory and image capture electronics, digital cameras and digital video cameras are gaining in popularity and are becoming more and more widely available to a larger number of consumers. One of the advantages that a digital camera enjoys over a conventional film camera is that when a digital camera captures an image, the image is stored electronically in a memory element associated with the camera and available for further electronic manipulation. Conversely, when a conventional still camera captures an image, the image is permanently exposed on a physical film, and therefore, not available for further manipulation.
Another advantage that a digital camera enjoys over a conventional film camera is the ability to rapidly capture multiple images of the “same” photograph. These multiple images can be captured at a rate approaching many tens or hundreds of images per second. Having the ability to capture many images for each photograph raises the possibility of using the multiple images to produce a final photograph (or picture) that has a quality significantly more desirable than that available using a convention camera that can only capture one image per photograph. Some conventional video cameras use multiple exposures to develop a single image having enhanced resolution by combining information from a series of de-interlaced video frames. Unfortunately, these video cameras are limited to resolution enhancement and require complex and sophisticated external processing devices.
Therefore, there is a need in the industry for a way to exploit the ability of a digital camera to capture multiple images to provide a high quality photograph.